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The prettiest smiles hide the deepest secrets
The prettiest eyes have cried the most tears
And the kindest hearts have felt the most pain.
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May 2nd, 1998
The war was almost over.
'Just five more minutes' Hermione Granger told herself. She was in the middle of dueling Bellatrix Lestrange while Harry dueled Voldemort in the great hall in front of everyone. She had three people helping her, all three of them she considered brothers, and they considered her a little sister. The three people helping her were Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, and George Weasley.
It was clear Bellatrix was targeting her and not any of the three men helping her, and it wore her out even more. Earlier that day, Fenrir Greyback had gotten to her and attacked her, making her loose more blood and become weak. The only reason she got out of it was because Ron and Neville found them and killed him, afterward, they both begged her to go see Madam Pomfrey, but she refused and kept on fighting.
It should be physically impossible for Hermione to be up, running around and fighting what with how much blood she has lost and how many injuries she has sustained. Hence why, when Bellatrix threw curse after curse at her, she got weaker and weaker, and more tired, and when Bellatrix threw the killing curse at her, she was too dizzy and weak to even notice it, and she would have been hit with it, had it not been for Charlie pushing her out of the way, making her fall into George.
"Not my daughter you bitch!" Hermione faintly heard Molly Weasley yell at Bellatrix after Bellatrix tried to kill her. George took her to the side and pulled her into his chest when she became too weak to hold herself up.
"'Mione, 'Mione stay awake." George told her when she began closing her eyes. "You lost too much blood; if you fall asleep now you could die."
"Just let me George, I hurt. I am in so much pain, just let it happen." Hermione begged against his chest.
"No." He said firmly, holding her up and making her look at his face, "I already lost one brother today, do not make me lose a sister."
"Ginny's...fine, she's with your dad." Hermione breathed.
"Merlin, 'Mione, and they call you the brightest witch of the age. You are my sister, like it or not, you are my sister and I'll be damned if I lose you too, because I already lost Fred."
"... Take me to Pomfrey." Hermione breathed once more, George nodded, and picked her up bridal style, walking over to a cot by Madam Pomfrey just as Molly killed Bellatrix.
"Madam Pomfrey." George called as he laid Hermione down on the cot. Madam Pomfrey turned around and saw Hermione.
"Oh dear." She said, rushing over. "Why did you wait so long to see me?"
"I've been fighting." Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes
Madam Pomfrey healed some of Hermione's injuries, but just the easy ones. She had to leave her on the cot to go grab more potions. Hermione had her eyes closed and was scrunched up in pain on her cot when her two best friends made their way over to her.
"'Mione?" Harry asked. Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at them. Harry had a lot of cuts on his body not to mention blood and dirt. Ron looked the same. It seemed Hermione got the worst of it.
"Hey." Hermione said.
"What happened?" Harry asked gently, squatting down beside her to have his face level to her face.
"A lot. Greyback got to me." At Harry's scared face, she added, "I'm not a werewolf. Don't worry. Just took a lot of my blood and scratched. Ron and Neville saved me. I'll be fine... Actually, I'm going to go do something." Hermione moved to get up, but Harry and Ron stopped her.
"Hermione, you're hurt. You need to stay here." Ron said.
"I'll be fine. I'll be back in a minute." Hermione sat up
"Hermione-"
"I'll hex you, Harry. I'll hex both of you. Badly. Merlin knows I can do it." Hermione told them. Harry and Ron saw the that certain look she gets in her eyes when she's dead serious. They let her go and he got up and left.
On her way down the hall to where Greyback's body lay, she came face to face with Severus Snape.
"Snape." She hissed
"Granger." Snape said, seemingly emotionless
"I'm trying to go do something Snape, what the hell do you want?"
"To warn you. You're going to go to the past. Your fight is very far from over." Snape said, though this time he had a bit of emotion, but it was unreadable.
"What do you mean?"
"In 1971 I met a girl named Eliana Potter in Diagon ally. She was the first friend I made beside Lily. She was kind and amazing. We were best friends all through Hogwarts and after. She stayed friends with me even when Lily... didn't. In 1979, after her brother James' wedding, she came to my house crying, she told me she was from the future and in 1998, after the war, there would be a girl walking over to Fenrir Greyback's body alone and to send her to 1971."
Hermione was silent for a moment before she scoffed, "It's just a coincidence, Snape... I'm not Eliana Potter."
"Yes, you are." Snape said, walking over to her with something in his hands. "You even look somewhat like her." Hermione began getting dizzy, letting Snape put what felt to be a time-turner around her neck.
"I'm... going to kill you... for this... Snape." She breathed, getting dizzier, she looked on the floor below her and noticed her blood piling up into a huge puddle.
"I look forward to it, Eliana."
Albus Dumbledore was a man of order. He liked things to be done in an orderly fashion and liked to expect what was coming. So, when an unconscious eighteen-year-old girl came blasting into the wall in front of him in his office, he slowly walked over to her and thought it best to invade some of her mind to tell if she was a good person or not. However, the young woman had mind shields up, that, very surprisingly, emulated his own.
Before Dumbledore woke the poor girl up, he put a protection shield up. As soon as he even laid a single finger on the girl, she woke up with a start and before she could do the simple task to sit up, she had her wand pointed at him.
"Pr...Professor?" She asked
"Hello dear." Dumbledore smiled gently.
"This is not possible." Hermione said. Dumbledore glanced at her most obvious injuries. She had huge gashes on her arms, legs, and one on her stomach, all spilling blood.
"I believe you'll find the impossible most probable." The elderly man told the young girl. Hermione made a move to stand up and Dumbledore found himself frightingly impressed when she did not wince in pain, for the injuries she had sustained were great and horribly painful.
"What year is it?" Hermione asked
"The year is 1971." Dumbledore told her, "I must ask who you are and how you managed to get here."
"Uh, right. I'm... ah. I'm Hermione Granger."
Dumbledore has always made it a job to remember every student's name that has passed the halls of Hogwarts, so when the battered young woman in front of him stated her name, he felt it odd that he had never heard of it, but continued on, "And how did you get here?"
"Uh... A future headmaster." Hermione answered with a small scowl
"My successor?"
"Something like that." Dumbledore did not miss the sour tone in her voice.
"Well, I believe that we should get you healed, don't you? Maybe while I do that, you can explain why you are here." He suggested, after noticing how large the puddle of her blood underneath her became.
"Um, I guess." She shrugged as if it was nothing. He man became gradually worried for the girl as she somehow found a reason to care so little for wounds so large. Dumbledore ushered her to a large chair in his office and began healing her and using a diagnosis charm while she explained. "Okay, I am Hermione Granger, and you were my headmaster my entire school career."
"That's wonderful." Dumbledore smiled a tight smile, though suddenly concerned of how she became so gruesomely injured and how she was still functioning after being exposed to so much torture not too long ago.
"Yes, well, after you died." Hermione winced at the statement and Dumbledore couldn't help but agree. "The new headmaster was forced to let Voldemort and Death Eaters take over the school and so my two friends and I had to go on the run."
"You do not fear his name?" Dumbledore asked, looking up from healing her wounds. Most people are frightened to say his name, even though he is not very powerful yet.
"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." She told him with a slight roll of her eyes
"And my I ask who spoke those words?" Dumbledore wondered
"You."
"Well, I'll just have to give the credit to the both of us, seeing as how I have never said it before." She shrugged it off as if it didn't matter
"Anyway, after an... incident." Hermione glanced down at her left arm. "My friends and I were forced back to this castle to find something to kill Voldemort. Death Eaters showed up, fuck, even Voldemort himself showed up. It was... horrible. So many people died. I had to watch my best friend's ex-girlfriend get mauled by Greyback. And the war... It wasn't kind to me either."
Dumbledore knew just how much of an understatement that was. The diagnosis charm kept popping more and more injuries on the piece of parchment and he knew he couldn't fix off of them and would need Poppy to do it, but he also knew this could be the only time Hermione would freely open up to him. And none of her injuries were currently life threatening, so he let her continue.
"Greyback... he also got to me, drained me of a lot of my blood, gave me great huge scars. He would have killed me had it not been for my two friends to find us and kill him. After I almost died from dueling a pretty strong duelist in my state of injuries, my brother-like friend had to carry my almost dead body to Madam Pomfrey. She gave me a small blood replenishing potion but left to go get more. During that time the war ended, and Voldemort was defeated." Dumbledore let himself smile slightly at that. "I left before Madam Pomfrey could come back and went to go find Greyback's body to... I don't know what, but I was stopped by the headmaster after you. He told me that he met me when he was in Daigon ally for first year, and that, we were friends. Then he sent me back here with an odd, unusual time-turner." Hermione finished.
"Well then, it seems like you will be returning to school here." Dumbledore said with fake cheer. The girl needed to be cheered up.
"Um, sir. Slight problem. I'm eighteen."
"Well, a simple de-aging potion will do. I believe we'll only need seven years. Now, did this future headmaster mention anyone."
Hermione, still shocked by what he was saying, stumbled out the words, "Well, yes-uh. He said James Potter and his family. I-uh I suppose I was his twin."
"Wonderful! I'll contact Charlus and Dorea Potter while you get healed in the infirmary and take the de-aging potion." He said in a tone that left no room to argue, however, that has never stopped Hermione before.
"What? No, I thought you just healed me."
Dumbledore looked at the girl gravely. "I'm afraid you have sustained injuries too far beyond my healing ability. There are also injuries that I have assumed you would like female to heal." Hermione grimaced at his statement, knowing just what he meant.
After Dumbledore gave Charlus and Dorea Potter the news about Hermione Granger, they both immediately agreed to having her live with them. As soon as he left, the called James down to the living room to inform him. "James!" Charlus called.
Eleven-year-old James Potter came skipping down the stairs a couple seconds after Charlus called him and walked over to his parents, while his mother spoke, "We need to have a talk." Suddenly, with those words, everything James has done, both recently and in his whole life came flashing threw his mind. "No, you're not in trouble, your father and I just need to have a chat with you."
"You are going to have a sister." Charlus blurted out. James' eyes widened when his father said this, staring between his mother and father, before his eyes finally rested on his mother's stomach.
"I'm not pregnant." Dorea smacked Charlus' arm slightly. "There is a girl, your age, who is in danger and in need of a home and family, so we're taking her in." James relaxed at this. "She's going to be introduced to this world as your twin sister."
"Really?" James asked excitedly, he's always wanted a sibling to play with, and now he gets a twin.
"Yes, her name is Eliana."
"Awesome." James said, nearly bouncing with excitement.
"But James, there are things you must know." Charlus told James seriously. "Eliana has been hurt very badly. Both physically and mentally. She has been healed physically, but there will be many scars, do not make her feel bad about that. However, she has not been healed emotionally. That will take a long time. She will need a lot of patients, and she will need love. Can you do that?"
"Yeah." James shrugged.
"James, this is very serious. Eliana has been through things and seen things that no child should ever have to. She may look small, but do not be fooled by it for she has seen much more than you could ever imagine. She will be sad; I couldn't imagine that she wouldn't be. She will also probably be very defensive, saying things like she doesn't need anyone or such things of that nature. But she will need people to take care of her. She needs people to show her love and kindness that she hasn't very much been shown."
"It will be your job to show her those things," Dorea told him, "Especially at Hogwarts. Can you do that? Can you take care of her and protect her?"
"I will protect her." James said, suddenly feeling very protective of her, "I always will."
After going to the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey fixed up everything that she could and also gave Eliana long term potions to take for all of her injuries, including 'Longum Cruciatus' to help her with the shaking, and pain. Madam Pomfrey also gave her a de-aging potion, making her once again eleven years old. After that, she gave her a permanent glamor charm, making her face shape change some and then changed her hair to be dark brown-almost black- and end in the middle of her back.
After she was all done, Dumbledore came to retrieve her and bring her to Potter Manor through Floo.
As soon as Eliana stumbled into the living room of what she assumed to be Potter Manor, she cursed, having not Flooed in a long time. "Mom doesn't like swearing." A voice called from behind her. Eliana went to reach for her wand but couldn't find it for she gave it to Dumbledore for safe keepings since 'It is the wand of Hermione Granger, and you are now Eliana Potter.' As he said it.
"I didn't mean to", Eliana turned around and her breathe got caught in her lungs as she looked at a young verson of Harry. 'No, not Harry. This is James, Harry's dead father', she told herself.
"You do look a lot like me." James stated, eyeing her.
"Magic." She rolled her eyes
"I'm James."
"I know."
"You're Eliana."
"Apparently." She muttered
"We're twins." He offered
"So I've heard."
Before either one of them could speak again, roaring green flames erupted in the fireplace. James grabbed onto Eliana and pulled her away from the flames but immediately let go when he felt her wince in pain and flinch at the sudden contact. "Ah, I see you've met Eliana, Mister Potter."
"She swore." James smiled while Dumbledore gave a pointed look at Eliana though she just shrugged, "I like her already."
"There you are." Dorea Potter said, sweeping into the room with Charlus, Eliana's breath caught once more at the sight of Lady and Lord Potter. She felt something pulling at her heart strings and noticed she felt the same way with James and would have more if she had not been reminded so much of her best friend. "I wasn't sure when you'd come."
"Yes, well, here you are, Eliana Potter. I must be going now; I have some unfinished business I must see to. I expect to see you two at the start of the new year." Dumbledore turned around and stepped right back into to the fireplace, green flames taking over him once more.
"Hello. I'm Dorea Potter. But you can call me mum. And this is my husband Charlus, but you can call him dad." The kind lady told her. Those words had her thinking of her own parents and wondered what they were doing right now.
"I'm Eliana." She told them. "Nice to meet you three."
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Now, there will be plenty of time to get to know one another tomorrow, so, James, would you take her up to bed and then both of you should rest." Charlus instructed the two. James nodded and began walking away, Eliana followed right after him.
"My room is across the hall from yours." James said excitedly after they got out of earshot from Dorea and Charlus., Eliana just nodded. "I'm gonna call you Ellie." James stated after a while.
"I hate nicknames." Eliana said
"Too bad." He laughed
"Fine. But only if I get to call you Jamie."
James considered it for a moment and then shrugged. "Okay."
"You and I have five months to get to know each other, and then, Hogwarts."
Eliana stopped in her tracks when she realized she would have to go back to the place where she saw too many of her classmates and friends die. Where Bellatrix Lestrange tortured her. She'd have to walk past the place where Fenrir Greyback tried to kill her and not throw up. She'd have to go by and possibly into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where the chamber of secrets lay hidden. She would have to walk into the Great Hall three times a day where she saw loved ones die and where she saw families mourning the deaths of their loved ones. She'd have to walk the grounds where she saw too many of her friends drop dead. She'd have to walk by the clearing where Harry died fighting for what was right. She would have to walk around all the halls and try not to remember the sight of someone lying dead there in her memory.
But she wasn't sure she could.
When James heard Eliana's breathing pick up and felt her shaking rapidly next to him, he turned to the side to ask if she was okay, but she just began crying. He was truely terrified but blocked that part out and tried to help his sister. He gently took her into his arms and soothed her while taking her down the rest of the hall to her room. There, he laid on the bed with her next to him while she laid her head on his shoulder, sobbing. He had his arms wrapped around her adn was rubbing circles on her back.
It seemed like a long time before she calmed down, but they stayed in the same position even after. James had thought and still thinks that she looked just as broken if not more than his parents warned him she would be. But it didn't make him feel better with the thought that he made the panic attack happen.
"Don't be ridiculous." Eliana muttered.
"What?"
"It wasn't your fault." She sighed. "Jamie, do you know what PTSD is?"
"No." He admitted, frowning.
"It's post-traumatic stress disorder. A mental health condition that develops after a traumatic event. It basically means that when someone experiences something traumatic, the brain is... damaged by the trauma. So, say your friends were killed in front of you. That would cause PTSD"
"That's horrible." James' frown deepened. Eliana nodded gravely
"I... saw things. Things no one, adult or child, should ever see."
"Like your friends being killed?"
"That and more. Anyway, your brain remembers that trauma and then sets certain triggers to avoid it. For me, I don't just get panic attacks, but also really bad nightmares. That's another part of PTSD. Your brain remembers it and then you relive it in your dreams."
"Well, I am here." James said, pulling her a bit tighter, "So tell your brain I'm protecting you."
"Jamie, that's not how it-"
"I'll always protect you." James sounded so convinced that it was hard for Eliana to argue, so she let it be, and believed him.
Hello readers, just wanted to let you know that I have written and posted this story on Wattpad under my account, 'Hplover_123' please go check it out.